Michael “Dottie” Soldati (they/them) is a Performance Artist, Writer, Tradesperson and Radical Queer.  While best known for their ongoing art project “The Coloring Book”, which brings art therapy to audiences everywhere, Soldati has been performing on and offstage for over 20 years most notably as a “Dandy Minion” in Taylor Mac’s 24 Decade History of Popular Music at The Theater at The Ace Hotel, not to mention L’unkles Boink, Lagunitas Beer Circus, Crash Alchemy, Insomniac, and around LA’s underground comedy scene.  Soldati began writing at 14 and hasn’t stopped since, writing for the stage, online platforms, political campaigns, speeches, and more. As a Tradesperson Soldati has worked as a Lead, Rigger and/or on The Golden Globes, CSI, SWAT, Music Cares, The American Repertory Theater, The Music Hall in Portsmouth, The Ogunquit Playhouse, The Wonder Theater, and The Oscars Red Carpet. In their spare time, Soldati plays ukulele and is an avid gamer.

Growing up in Somersworth, NH, Soldati was known for their creativity, their leadership qualities and a desire to help others, often taking in strays, supporting the LGBTQIA+ community and volunteering with Sexual Assault Support Services (SASS). They got a taste for politics, governance and community building working on their father’s biannual campaign for District Attorney, later joining Student Council as the student representative to the school board, took part in the Superintendent Student Initiative started the first student produced show “Somersworth Night Live” which continues to this day. From there they attended The Hyde School, a family based character education school in Bath, ME where they were part of the Scholar’s program, awarded the Honors in History award, graduating in 2005.

After Hyde, Soldati went on to attend Keene State College where they: starred in the New England Premiere of “Urinetown”, started the first student produced cabaret entitled “Keene State Cabaret” (which also still runs to this day), competed in the Irene Ryan’s Acting Competition at festival 3 years in a row as well as bringing KSC’s production of “The Matchmaker”, and worked with The Pilobolus Dance Company to recreate one of their seminal works “Walklyndon”. In 2007, Soldati took over as the General Manager of 91.3 WKNH Keene, the college’s student run radio station. In 2009 they graduated with a Major in Theater & Dance with a Focus in Acting & Directing and a separate focus in Modern Dance.

Shortly thereafter Soldati volunteered with Americorps VISTA at the Keene Public Library as the 21st Century Skills VISTA, researching gaming and technology and using that research to inform a series of after school programs. During that time Soldati also started “The Keene Art Collective” a community house filled with a diverse array of artists, writers and musicians, complete with an art studio, music studio and opened “The Rock Bottom Theater”, hosting a series of events called “Parties with a Purpose” that sought to broaden the minds and experiences of college students through art, conversation and community.

After their term of service with Americorps VISTA concluded Soldati moved to New York City to work with City Year New York, another Americorps program dedicated to ending the drop-out crisis in America. Soldati served in PS 13 Roberto Clemente Elementary School in East New York, one of Brooklyn’s poorest and most disadvantaged communities as the training coordinator working in class rooms with black and latinx students to help improve math and literacy skills. While with CYNY Soldati worked as Camp Director for CY’s winter vacation camp, lead several service learning projects and was the keynote speaker at CYNY’s corp graduation.

Following their tenure with Americorps, Soldati worked as an instructor with Grand St. Settlement an educational nonprofit taking a holistic approach to ending teen pregnancy through comprehensive sex education, parental involvement and engaging after school programming. However, despite their belief in the importance of education Soldati felt that in order to be a better teacher and role model it was necessary to pursue their own dreams of theater. While in NYC Soldati worked with and/or performed at Theater for the New City, The Bowery Poetry Club, Blue Monday, various open mics throughout Brooklyn and Manhattan and as an elf in the historic Santaland at Macy’s 34th St. & Herald Square location.

In the Summer of 2012 Soldati landed a gig at The Arundel Barn Playhouse as a character actor, singer and dancer for their season. After which Soldati spent some time performing in Austin, TX later hopping onto the campaign trail with The Fund for Public Interest campaigning for Barrack Obama, Lois Frankel (D-FL12) and Patrick Murphy (D-FL18) as the director of a canvassing operation based in Fort Lauderdale, all of which were successful campaigns. After the election Soldati headed back to NYC to volunteer with The Clinton Foundation aiding communities that had been heavily impacted by Hurricane Sandy.

Soldati returned to New England in 2013 for a change of scenery, working at variety of theaters The American Repertory Theater, The Emerson Cutler Majestic Theater, Prescott Park Arts Festival, Seacoast Repertory Theater, The Ogunquit Playhouse and The Portsmouth Music Hall for which Soldati also produced a number of video series in conjunction with SoldatiPR. Finally seeking new climes Soldati decided to move to Los Angeles, CA for warmer weather, Hollywood and spend time with their sister, award winning clown and comedienne Gemma Soldati. Soldati hit the ground running almost immediately apprenticing with Icarus Rigging learning the ins and outs of production rigging while also studying under Cirque Du Soleil’s former Head Clown, the renowned John Gilkey. Soldati spent the next 7 years honing their skills on stage across LA’s diverse comedy scene and behind the scene’s on some of Hollywood’s biggest productions and events.

In 2016 Soldati gained a recurring role as a bearded lady with Crash Alchemy taking the festival scene by storm at SXSW, Lightning in a Bottle and Symbiosis to name a few. During which time Soldati also developed one of their signature projects, The Coloring Book, now known as “The Human Coloring Book Project” THCBP. Soldati has since taken THCBP up and down the west coast and performed for and interacted with thousands over the years from Lagunitas Beer Circus to Burning Man. In 2017 Soldati officially came out as Queer Non-Binary and as an “Executive Transvestite” as Eddy Izzard would put it and was a founding member of LA’s premiere queerlesque troupe called QWN. The following year Soldati joined the 2018 LA cast of “Taylor Mac’s 24 Decade History of Popular Music”.

In 2019 Soldati joined forces with Blakeshine to produce what would later be called “The Forgotten Fort” an immersive installation rife with nostalgia, fun and games where all that’s lost is not forgotten and what’s forgotten is not lost, an adult’s re-adventure into the joys of childhood from roller skates and racecar bed ball pits to The Coloring Book and giant sized games of Operation. The Forgotten Fort premiered at Desert Hearts 2019 and has been brought to various venues and events including City Hearts, Lightning in a Bottle and Dirty Bird Campout.

Most recently Soldati moved to Portland, OR for some more nature, rain and quiet.